NEW DELHI,
May 18 (Bernama) -- Like tigers, endangered leopards too are battling
for survival in India, as poachers are actively killing the animal to
feed the illicit global demand for big cat skin, according to Wildlife
Protection of India (WPSI) on Tuesday.

WPSI's Head Belinda Wright said some 160 reported dead so far since this January, compare to 290 in 2009.

"Since
it is easy to trap leopards, the wildlife smugglers find them as
perfect replacement for tigers for sales through wildlife trade," she
said, adding its bones are widely used in traditional medicine in
countries in China.

She added: "Leopard coats and trimmings are also used for traditional dances and festivals, and are sold quite openly in Tibet".

Since 1994, India has lost at least 3,189 leopards," according to an estimate by WPSI, a non-government organisation.

Leopard,
a member of the Felidae family and the smallest of the four "big cats"
in the genus Panthera. The other three are namely the tiger, lion and
jaguar.

WPSI estimates that there are between 7,000 to 10,000
leopards in India, and these endangerd species are protected under
Schedule-I of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972.

The Central
Bureau of Investigations' wildlife crime cell has estimated that for
every tiger skin, there are at least seven leopard skins in the haul.